I found some areal photos of the IMFLA site and have labeled all the condo's in the immediate vicinity of the race site. You can rent these condo's through several rental agencies. send me you e-mail address, and I will e-mail you the photo. My address is trislowpoke@aol.com

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The Cuban Comet
(Comets are unbelievably slow over Cuba)

I rented through PCbeachrentals.com and stayed at the Sunbird which is a 5 minute walk down the beach to the swim start. It is a 1 bedroom condo with full kitchen facilities so it was good for prepping my own food. It cost me about $80/night. I'd stay there again if I was going back to race IMFL.

I stayed on site - I think it was a Howard Johnson's. The room had a microwave and refigerator and the balcony overlooked the beach. The convenience of being right there was worth the $100 a night. A condo would be nice but in any case I definitely advise staying within easy walking distance of the race site. matter.

Larry

What are you looking for? If you want proximity and don't care about Spartan accomodations, stay at one of the host hotels, the Sunbird or the Pier. They are very basic, and yes, great proximity. If you want more comfort, I highly recommend renting one of the condos. I have stayed at a few places, and my favorite is Edgewater. It is only 1.5-2 miles from the race site. Many triathletes (mostly families) stay there. You get away from the buzz, but still feel part of the race. They key, though, is what you get: 2 bedroom condo, full kitchen, 2 baths, probably 1500 sq. ft, ocean view and balcony, several pools, all for $125/night. That's a steal. Take advantage of the tourist off-season and stay like a king. Have a great race.

I stayed at the top of the gulf. It is one of the boardwalkproperties. It was lovely.

IIRC you go to the boardwalk beach resort webstie and then click on top of the gulf. It was condos and I paid around 79 per night.

It was probably 200 yards from the finish line.

It took me 45 minutes to walk from the med tent to the condo. Given the length of the parking lot, probably 10 yards per minute pace.

I was a bit achy.

Can anyone recommend a decent 2BR condo near the start? Thanks.

Thanks everyone for responding... I'm looking for something within about a 5-10 min. walk from the finish line. I'd prefer not to stay at Ho Jo's because I've heard it can get very hectic at the host hotel. I've been down to PCB before but haven't stayed on that end of the strip. And, I don't know how IMNA sets up everything for the race. So, lookin for something close that has (preferably) a kitchen. Thanks again everyone...

I highly recommend the Sunbird. Me and my family have styed there twice. Full kitchen amenities (full size fridge, stove, oven), seperate bedroom and usually a pull-out couch in living room. I believe there may be larger units available. 5 min walk to where it all happens, but I felt far enough away too. Quiet also! One of the pools last fall was heated - great for the kids.

Go online and find a rental company. I saved major bucks doing that rather than calling the Sunbird direct. Good luck.